First Fruits
by Kojirou
Summary: 1,000 years of peace have past since the era of the Moon Child came to an end but all is not well in the Land of Endiness. *Chapter 6 is up* The next round of the Hero Competition. And just what does Sept want from Airashii anyway?
1. Chapter 1 : Rogue Welcome

Part 1 : Rouge Welcome   
  
Aaron stood proudly on the deck of the Dragon's Pride. The salty sea air whipped through his silver hair as a hand up to shade his eyes. People often thought it was odd that a Wingly would choose the life of the sea, but Aaron could not imagine any other. He felt perfectly at home high in the crow's nest of the massive ship, scanning the skies for signs of other ships.   
  
"Aaron! Ho, down here!" Came a voice from the deck below. Aaron glanced down at the midshipman.   
  
"What is, Jerome?" He called back.   
  
"We have just received word that there is a nasty storm heading this way! You had better get down from there!" The man sounded almost frantic, not a good sign. Aaron took one last look at the glorious sky and then leaped of the side of the crow's nest. His wings extended from his back and slowed him as he reached out to grab the rigging only a few feet off the deck.   
  
"What is the ETA of the storm?" He asked quickly.   
  
"Less than fifteen minutes." Jerome's voice was tight.   
  
"Better furl the sails." Aaron said, even though the midshipman had probably already thought of that.   
  
"Aye, I'll get right on it." He sounded relieved to have someone else giving out the orders.   
  
Aaron turned back to stare out at the sea."You are a cruel mistress, Lady Oceania, but I have the means to outwit you."   
  
He left his wings out a moment longer, as if in challenge to the mighty ocean.   
  
"Captain! Lighting sighted ahead!" Jerome called to him.   
  
Aaron quickly returned his wings to their place on his back and let go of the rigging, landing easily on the deck.   
He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out. "All hands on deck! All hands on deck! This is not a drill!"   
Sailors rushed to and fro as the waves grew higher about the ship. Aaron seemed everywhere at once, shouting orders, helping men with ropes and encouraging others at their posts.  
  
"Take heart men! Let us prove that our wills are stronger that the will of the sea!" He called out, his voice carrying over the waves.   
  
"Aye, captain, our will may be stronger but our ship is not!" Jerome answered, from where he stood at the helm, trying to hold the wheel steady.   
  
"Then let us make the best while we can!" Aaron replied " The closer to shore we are, the less you sea dogs have to swim!"   
  
Suddenly a large wave swept over the ship, catching the boat and tossing it like a toy. It landed on a jagged reef, slicing through the hull like paper.   
  
"Dammit!" Aaron picked himself up off the deck, his hair dripping with seawater "Abandon ship! Abandon ship! Everyone off, now! Swim for shore!"   
  
"But captain what about you?!" Jerome staggered to his feet, lurching towards the captain.   
  
" I can take care of my self, now get going!" The sailor nodded and dove overboard.   
  
Aaron watch as his men swam for shore. "Time for me to fly out of here. Good-bye, Dragon's Pride. I never liked that name anyway. It's a shame I never got around to renaming you." Aaron leapt off the side of the boat, allowing his wings to carry him across the restless shore of the ocean.   
  
Aaron realized his mistake as soon as he glanced back at the sea. In his fatigue he had allowed himself to fly to close to the turbulent surface of the sea and there was no way to avoid the rapidly approaching wave. He rose on the air, quickly ascending in an attempt to escape but it was no use. The wave caught him easily and sent him plowing into the depths. He fought and clawed his way to the surface, where he took one breath that was half air, half seawater before he was forced under the waves under once again. He could feel panic rising as he surfaced on again, taking a deep breath and spitting the brine from his mouth.   
  
Just when he thought he could last no longer, a final wave picked him up and hammered him on the shore. He crawled a few feet higher up on the beach before passing out.   
  
===   
  
That was how they found him, lying motionless on the sand. The brought him back to the village and treated his wounds. He slept for nearly a week afterwards, awaking to find himself alone in the corner of an open aired room. He glanced about, smelling the salty sea air and knowing that that he hadn't gone far. He rolled over and sat up, his bare feet on the cold floor as he waited for the dizziness to pass. He heard a sound and glanced up to see a man entering with a pitcher of water.   
  
"Where am I?" He asked, his voice as weak as he felt.   
  
The man sat the pitcher down and turned to face him.   
  
"Your in the town of Rouge."   
  
"Rouge?" Aaron blinked in surprise. "Either we were way off course or I was swept the far away by the sea."  
  
"The mayor wanted to see you as soon as you were awake." The man said, turning to leave.  
  
Aaron nodded and rose to his feet, swaying for a moment, and then steadying. He walked slowly out the door to find several men seated on benched outside. "Ah, our visitor has awakened!" An older main with graying hair exclaimed as soon as he saw him.   
  
"Good day to you." Aaron answered, trying to be polite. " Tell me, have you found any other survivors from my ship?"  
  
"I fear we have not."The old man answered with a shake of his head. "You are the only one we have found. I'm sorry."   
  
Aaron sat down hard on the bench. "All dead." He whispered. "All dead...."  
  
  
====   
  
It was nearly a week later before he regained his strength and was able to walk about freely. He had gotten into the habit of walking down to watch the warriors practice every morning, and this morning was no different. He rose early, dressed in his normal black and silver attire and strolled down to the pier. This morning a new warrior was practicing, one he had never seen before. She was a woman dressed in a violet jumpsuit and sparring against a tall man dressed in brown leather armor. The man was armed with a massive claymore, while the woman was unarmed. He sat at his normal spot and watched the match with growing interest. The man swung his sword, and the girl leapt aside, he drew the blade back and sliced sideways. She leapt in the air, landing on the flat of the blade, and then jumped up balancing with one hand one each of his shoulders, flipping off and landing behind him. She crouched on the ground for several moments as he turned, then rolled away before he had a chance to strike again, his sword digging into the wooden deck.   
  
"Enough, Serif." The girl said, bringing up one hand. "I don't want to get too tired this early in the morning." She smiled and rose to her feet. She gave the man a formal bow at the waist. The man nodded and shouldered the massive claymore before walking away. The girl had just picked up a towel and began to wipe the sweat from her face when she noticed Aaron watching her. She smiled and walked over to where he was sitting.   
  
"Good morning." She said cheerfully "It is good to see out platinum haired guest up and about."   
  
"Do you practice with him often?" Aaron asked curiously   
  
"Yes, I have trained with him since I was a young child." The girl responded, obviously puzzled by his directness.   
  
"I thought so."   
  
She put her hands on her hips. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"   
  
"It just seemed more that you had learned his timing than actually learning to dodge attacks. It would be interesting to see you try that against someone else."   
  
"Is that a challenge?" She asked crossing her arms.  
  
"Do you want it to be?" He returned with a grin.  
  
"You're on." She replied with a smirk.   
  
He grinned. "Let me get my sword."   
  
Aaron rose and left the pier, returning to room they had given him to retrieve his simple but well-used light sword. The girl was waiting for him on his return, a slender katana in her hand. Aaron stopped on the edge of the pier and brandished his sword before dropping into a ready position.   
  
"One moment." She said holding up her left hand. " I don't believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Kelcie."   
  
"Aaron."   
  
"Pleased to meet you Aaron. I hope you prove to be a worthy adversary." She bowed formally and then dropped into a ready position that was identical to Aaron's. Left foot forward, right foot back, knees slightly bent, and her sword held in a loose one-handed grip. He regarded her carefully for a moment then took a long step to the left. She followed suit. He took a step back; she took a step back. He took three steps forwards and feinted a blow. She took three steps forwarded and brought her blade up to block, stopping in the same instant he did./What the hell is she doing?/ He thought to himself as he swung downwards. She swung upwards easily blocking him. /Ah, I see. She is mimicking my moves. Showing off are we? Well, I must admit you are good at reading my moves but let's see if you can keep up with a Wingly./ He stepped back, she stepped back. He switches to a two handed grip and brought his blade up to a horizontal position I front of his eyes. She frowned and copied his movements. The without warning he surged forward moving so fast his sword seemed to blur. He slashed downwards and she managed to block it, swinging upwards and then stepped out of the way. He turned to follow her and swung downwards once more. She brought her sword up and the blades locked. Sparks flew as metal ground against metal. She took a half-step back to gain better footing but he took a full step forward pressing his attack with all his might. She attempted to step back once more and fell, sprawling ungracefully on the ground. Her katana fell to the ground and skittered away, coming to a stop a few feet away. She leapt to her feet, trying to reach the blade but Aaron stepped in her path.   
  
"Not bad for a human."   
  
She stepped to the right, but he was faster and still blocked her way. She stepped to the left and once again he blocked her way.   
  
"Nope." He said with a superior grin. "Not until you admit defeat."   
  
She feinted to the left again and dove to the right. Ignoring the feint, Aaron took a long step to the right. She tried to get past him but he caught her with an arm around her waist.   
  
"Let me go, Wingly." She growled.   
  
"Since you asked nicely... no."   
  
"Let me loose!"   
  
"Why?"   
  
"Why?! What kind of question is that?"   
  
"A valid one."   
  
"That's enough. Both of you." Aaron looked over to see that the tall man had returned, minus the claymore. He released Kelcie and she glared at him as she stalked over to retrieve her weapon.   
  
"It has been a while since I've seen Kelcie beaten so handily." The tall man extended a hand to Aaron. "My name is Serif."   
  
Aaron shook the proffered hand firmly. "Giganto?"   
  
Serif laughed. "No. A Giganto once lived here but I am no relation. Just unusually tall."   
  
Aaron started to say something else when an unearthly wail came from the sea.  
  
"What is that?!" Kelcie asked as she stared out over the sea in amazement. A large shelled sea creature rose, screaming again. It was an unnerving, undulating wail that seemed to chill to the bone.   
  
"It looks like a kraken." Aaron said in amazement as he walked over to stand beside her. "but that's impossible, they are extinct."  
  
"Whatever it is, it's headed towards the village." Serif said in a grim voice.  
  
"Then it's up to use to stop it." Kelcie said, then held her right hand up in a fist.  
  
"Whoa! What do you think you are going to do against that monster!?" Aaron asked, reaching out to grab her elbow before she could make a move towards the creature.  
  
"I don't 'think' I can do anything. I am going to go stop that thing before people die, now let go!" Shrugging off Aaron's arm, Kelcie raced across the pier and leapt off into nothing. Aaron ran after her, ready to pull her out of the water and drag her back to shore. Suddenly time seemed to slow and then to nearly stop. Lighting forked down from a clear blue sky, striking the water beneath her, once then twice. It skittered across the water, defying the laws of gravity, then began to rise as a solid sheet of glowing power. As it rose, small tongues of electricity began to strike upwards and for a moment Aaron thought this to be an attack of the kraken. Then, as the wave of energy began to pass over her, a strange thing happened. After it had passed over her, it left behind glowing violet armor. He stared in awe as the energy wave continued to rise until it rose above her, leaving her dressed in stunning armor, a katana of pure energy in her hand and strong wings extending from her back.  
  
"You're - you're a dragoon!" He exclaimed, running forward as the spell around her transformation seemed to fade.  
  
Kelcie turned to glance over her shoulder and gave him a unpleasant smirk. "No duh, smart boy."  
  
Aaron allowed his own wings to extend and joined her in the sky as she turned her full attention to the kraken. She held up one hand in a fist and it began to glow, it began to sparke as if she held a bolt of lighting in her hand. A glowing circle appeared around the kraken and lighting flashed around it, growing stronger and stronger with each passing second.  
  
"Atomic Mind!!"  
  
The circle around the kraken seemed to explode as lighting struck from above and below in the same instant, hiding the kraken in brilliant flash of light. Then the spell faded to reveal the kraken thrashing wildly in the water, roaring in pain.  
  
"Don't you have anything more powerful that that?" Aaron asked her.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm afraid that my other spells might hurt the village. If only it wasn't so close!"  
  
"Then allow me." Aaron rose above her hovering there a second with his eyes closed.  
  
"What? What are you doing!?" Kelcie exclaimed, then rose to an equal height with a single strong beat of her dragoon wings. Aaron ignored her and touched his forehead with the first two fingers of his right hand. His fingers began to glow and he held out both hands in front of him. He touched his left and right hands together and they both began to glow. He then used them to draw a circle in the air in front of him, finally using his index finger to write "Aaron" in Wingly symbols across the center of the circle before waving his hand through the symbols and erasing them.  
  
"Down Burst!"  
  
The wind began to howl, then gather into a mighty cyclone picking up rocks a loose debris as it gathered into a massive ball above the kraken before falling down upon it and forcing it below the waves for an instant. It rose again, screaming. Aaron did not hesitate but began his spell casting again, writing his name once more upon the air.  
  
"Gravity Grabber!"  
  
A line appeared both above and below the kraken, creating twin circles. When the circles where complete a column of earth rose from the sea and another fell from the sky to trap the kraken in-between them in a painful blow. The kraken roared once more and began to glow, waving it's tentacles as if beginning an incantation of it's own.  
  
"We have to stop whatever it's trying to cast before it destroys the village!" Kelcie cried, spreading her wings in alarm and raising her hand for another spell casting.  
  
"No need to worry." Aaron said, closing his eyes. "I have this well under control, save your strength for another day and consider this the thank you to your village for saving me." He brought his hand up once more, for a final spell casting.  
  
"Burning Wave!"  
  
A line of fire ran around the kraken engulfing it in flames and burning through it's hard shell. Water began to pour into the cracks that formed and the kraken thrashed in anguish as it sense that it's end was near. "Now, to finish it off."  
  
He brought his hand to his forehead but made no other move to cast. "Kelcie, it's heart lies exposed. End this."  
  
"With pleasure." Kelcie brandished her katana once and dove to attack, the point of the blade held down like a spear. Her blade pierced a crack in the shell, burying itself in the soft inner flesh. She then pulled the energy weapon free and glided away from the kraken's thrashing tentacles, waiting a moment for a second opening to drive the blade home once more. This time when the blade bit into it, the kraken made no more to retaliate. It's tentacles dropped to it's side and it began to sink quietly to the depths of the ocean. Kelcie glided away from the sinking bulk, katana dangling loosely from her hand, her eyes half closed. Aaron remained as he was before, hovering with his hand to his head. He slowly opened his eyes and lowered his hand, blinking as if awakening from a dream. He glanced down to see Kelcie and immediately allowed himself to fall until he was level with her. She now rested on her back, as if floating on water. He glanced down at her, concerned.  
  
"Kelcie, are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah… just … tired…" She frowned, then made an effort to open her eyes all the way. "What element are you anyway? You cast three different elemental spells and you didn't use any items that I saw."  
  
"I'm non-elemental." Aaron answered, sounding slightly uncomfortable.  
  
"Non-elemental?" Kelcie squinted up at him. "How is that possible?"  
  
"Long story." Aaron answered gruffly, making it quite clear that he didn't want to talk about it.   
  
"Hm, weird… but whatever floats your boat I guess." She laughed quietly and righted herself, reaching the pier in a few short wing beats. She touched down on the wooden platform and sank down to her knees. She was engulfed in a brilliant flash of light and when it faded her armor was gone, replaced once more by the simple violet jumpsuit. Serif was by her side in a second, kneeing down in front of her. "You okay?" He asked, his concern clearly hear in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, just tired…" Kelcie repeated wearily.  
  
Aaron allowed his own wings to return to hiding and sat down with his legs crossed beneath him.   
  
"What kept you?" Kelcie asked Serif. "I thought you were right behind me."  
  
"Heh, it looked to me like you two hotshots had everything under control." Serif answered with friendly chuckle.  
  
"Let me guess," Aaron spoke up. " you're a dragoon too."  
  
"Of the Golden Dragon, yes." Serif nodded. "You see, throughout the generations, those recognized by the dragoon spirits have served as the guardians of Rogue, though for the past hundred years there has been no need of them... "  
  
"Until now." Aaron finished for him."  
  
"Yes…" Kelcie answered, her voice unusually subdued. "The last Dragoon of the Violet Dragon, my father, was killed when a raider ship attacked Rogue. Everyone was shocked… a dragoon protector dead… we still have no idea who the man was who wielded so much power, nor why he came, killed my father and then left without sacking rogue or even burning our shipyards..."  
  
"At her father's funeral, her father's dragoon spirit recognized Kelcie as it's new owner." Serif continued for her." and so she has trained herself since that day."  
  
"You wish to use this power to avenge your father?" Aaron asked, resting his chin in his hands. "Yes, to kill the man who murdered my father and most of all, to find out why." 


	2. Chapter 2 : Faithful Evil

Part 2 : Faithful evil   
  
Nueve strode through the dimly lit corridor of the seemingly abandoned castle, eyes straight ahead, ignoring the rubble and decay around her. She was a woman of average height, dressed in a suit of crimson armor, with long auburn hair that was tied back in a ponytail and clear green eyes that were focused on some spot ahead of her that she had not yet reached. Her back was straight and her stride was that of one on a mission. It took her only a few short minutes to reach her destination, a flight of stairs that lead to a remote balcony high above the rest of the ruins. Her foot falls echoed loudly in the confined space as she ascended the stairs, disturbing the unnatural silence that surrounded this desolate place. At last she stepped out unto the balcony and lowered herself to one knee.   
  
"My Lord Sept."   
  
The man did not turn but rather continued his observation of the starlit sky.   
  
"Ah, Lady Nueve."   
  
He was a tall man, dressed in full armor, much as Nueve was, though he wore a helmet and seemed to possess a familiarity with his armor that she did not. His hands were clasped behind his back and his helmeted face was lifted to the sky.   
  
"Once Malbua ruled from the skies…" He spoke quietly, almost to himself. "Before the blasphemers cast him down and replaced him with his own creation, the Divine Tree." He lowered his head and silenced reigned for a moment. "Tell me." He spoke again at last. "How goes our little project? I trust you would not have disturbed me without good cause."   
  
"Phase one has been completed, My Lord." Nueve reported dutifully, then hesitated a moment before continuing. "However… we lost the kraken."   
  
"I see." There was no change in his voice, his inflections or his stance, it was as if the news meant nothing to him. Nueve relaxed the slightly, then snapped back to attention at his next words.   
  
"Do accept full responsibility for its loss?"   
  
"Yes, My Lord." She answered without hesitation.   
  
"Very well." He nodded slowly. "You may rise."   
  
She stood quickly, dusting off her knees and assuming a position similar to his, with her arms clasped behind her back.   
  
"Tomorrow I want you to begin the tests on the second subject." He said, his dismissal obvious in his tone.  
  
"Yes, My Lord." She touched her right fist to her left shoulder in a salute and turned to leave.  
  
"And Nueve…"   
  
She paused and turned back to face him. "Yes, My Lord?"   
  
"I am very disappointed with you."   
  
Without warning he turned and backhanded her across the face so hard that she stumbled backwards into the doorway behind her and slid to her knees, stunned. She brought the back of one gauntleted hand up to her mouth and it came away stained with blood.   
  
"F-forgive me…M-my Lord."   
  
"Do not fail me again." He answered, instead of granting her the forgiveness she had requested.   
  
"I-I won't, My Lord."   
  
"Now get out of my sight." He turned his back to her once more as she scrambled to her feet.   
  
"As you command, My Lord." She quickly left the balcony, hurrying down the stairs and nearly running into a man standing at the bottom.   
  
"There you are, Nu, I've been looking for you!" He was a man about her height, dressed in a rough leather jerkin and carrying a battered sword.  
  
"Not now, Alain!" She barked at him, pressing her left hand to the corner of her mouth in an attempt to stop the bleeding.   
  
"Nu? What happened to you?"   
  
"Lord Sept was… less than please with the loss of the kraken."   
  
"He hit you!?" Alain exclaimed in surprise.   
  
"It is my just punishment for failure." She answered, taking her hand away from her mouth for a moment.   
  
"What the hell?" Alain reached out and grabbed her elbow to stop her from walking away. "That bastard slaps the crap out of you and you say-" He suddenly broke off when he found a dagger suddenly pointed at his throat.  
  
"What did you call Lord Sept?" Nueve asked, her voice cold.  
  
Alain wisely didn't answer. With a snarl of disgust, Nueve reversed her grip on the dagger and slammed the hilt of it into the man's stomach. He doubled over in pain but didn't fall.   
  
"That will teach you to insult your betters." With a swirl of her cape she turned to leave.   
  
"I don't get you…" Alain spoke up breathlessly. Nueve hesitated but only half turned, looking over her shoulder at him. "You let him hurt you, hit you and taunt you, why? What is it drives you to obey him so faithfully even though her treats you so badly?"   
  
Nueve glanced away. "Any punishment I receive from My Lord is my own fault. He deserves perfection and it is my failing that I cannot provide it for him."   
  
"That's bullshit."   
  
Nueve stiffened. "Do you wish to die that badly?"   
  
Alain shook his head and sighed. "No."   
  
"Then be silent." With that Nueve strode off into the ruins of the castle to prepare things for the next day.  
  
===  
  
Nueve stood flanked by four soldiers dressed in matching jet black uniforms. Before her were about five men busily chipping away at the gray mass that surrounded the seal of a massive box that was twice again as tall as she was. Whatever was in that box was obviously making the men very nervous.   
  
"Lady Nueve…" The guard to her left spoke up hesitantly. "Excuse me for bothering you but… how do we know that thing is really dead?"   
  
Nueve laughed quietly. "We don't."  
  
The guard paled and gripped the hilt of his sword tighter.   
  
"Lady Nueve!" Came a shout from one of the workers on top of the box. "We have found the seal!"   
  
Nueve nodded. "Excellent. Now break it and release the body."  
  
"I-I…" The worker stammered.   
  
Nueve put her hands in her hips. "What is the problem!?"   
  
"Well, ma'am…. It's just that… well... you know what's in here… the Winglies must have sealed it away for a reason. Who knows what will happed when we release it…"   
  
"Nothing we can't handle." Nueve responded confidently.   
  
"But…. this is a… a…"   
  
"Gah! Fine, I'll handle this myself." With a disgusted shake of her head, Nueve stalked forward and climbed atop the box. She strode easily across it's mass and stood beside the man, who was shaking like a leaf as he stared down at the glowing orb as if mesmerized. Nueve drew her sword and prepared to destroy the seal.  
  
"I still don't think this is a good idea…" The worker muttered nervously.   
  
"Complain all you want." Nueve answered the man. "Just remember that all complaints are handled by Flamberge." She held up the weapon, a bastard sword which she chose the wield with a single hand, it was a beautiful but deadly weapon with flame runes etched down each side of the blade.   
  
The worker paled even further and backed away while Nueve reversed her grip on Flamberge and plunged it into the glowing orb that was the seal. It sparked, then cracked before finally splitting in two. Nueve's momentum nearly sent her tumbling off the box but she fell to her knees to regain her balance. The front of the box open and the contents fell out onto the ground in front of it. It was a nasty, hideous gray mass which resembled no known living creature. It stank to the heavens, threatening to force Nueve to return her lunch.   
  
"We will take it from here." Came a calm cool voice.   
  
"Just hurry it up, Mauvais." Nueve barked. "I want this stinking thing back in it's box before nightfall."   
  
"So… even the great Lady Nueve is nervous in the presence of a Virage." The man was obviously ancient, with a mane of unruly silver hair and harsh blue eyes that had not dulled with age.   
  
"Just shut up and do your job." Nueve snapped as she rose unsteadily to her feet and turn to recover her sword, which she had dropped after breaking the seal. Why my Lord Sept would wish bring to life one of these creatures is beyond me…  
  
Nueve stood with her left hand resting on the hilt of Flamberge, her back to the Virage corpse. All the old stories floated around in her mind, tales of the Virage and their destructive powers.   
  
"Lady Nueve!!" Came a panicked cry behind her, she turned, already drawing Flamberge and preparing for the worst. The gray mass wasn't stirring. She lowered her sword and opened her mouth to berate the soldier when the Virage moved, it's fingers twitching. All the blood ran out of her face and she found herself petrified by fear and unable to move as the creature slowly righted itself. It turned it's massive head one way, then another, searching for something... or someone.   
  
"Impressive." Mauvais spoke up from behind her. "After all this time, it still lives."  
  
Nueve took a deep breath and turned her head to look at him, finally breaking free from the spell the Virage seemed to have cast on everyone that looked upon it.   
  
"How… is that possible? It was found buried deep inside the heart of the inactive volcanoes of Volcano Villude."  
  
Mauvais laughed. "Never underestimate the power of hate, my dear. These things hate and despise the Dragoons. They will do anything to kill them. My only question is.. Why has it awakened now? Surely there are no Dragoons nearby."  
  
"There you would be wrong." Nueve answered quietly, reaching inside a pouch at her waist to withdraw a small round object. As soon as she opened her hand it began to glow, then suddenly burst into flames. She closed her eyes as the fire engulfed her. She crossed her arms in front of her and then, with a oddly inhuman cry she spread her arms wide, clenching her left hand into a fist. The flames moving away slowly to reveal fiery red armor, the tongues of flame raced along her body, flaring out from her back to create giant Dragoon wings.   
  
"You're a Dragoon?" Mauvais actually sounded surprised.   
  
Nueve didn't respond but spread her newly formed wings and rose into the sky. Throwing her sword high into the sky above her, she drew both of her hands close to her chest and a ball of flame began to form between them. When the ball had grown to a large enough size she released it and drew her fist back, the threw all of her weight forward and smashed her fist into the ball, sending it rocketing towards the Virage.   
  
"Flaaaaaaaaaame Shot!"  
  
Nueve held out an open hand and the sword landed in her palm, her fingers curling around it in a practiced motion. The fireball knocked the Virage off balanced but it recovered quickly with a sweeping blow of it's partially destroyed hand, trying to knock her from the sky. She dove below it and slashed at it's chest with her sword. It left a gash that quickly filled with an odd greenish substance the hardened to cover the wound. She quickly darted backwards, trying to avoid a second sweep of the decayed hand but she was too slow. It's fingers wrapped around her waist and for a moment she couldn't breath as it shook her back and forth a moment before slamming her face first against the hardened earth. She lay there stunned a moment as she tried to gather her scattered wits. Suddenly she found herself silhouetted by an odd purple light…almost like a targeting-! She rolled away quickly as a beam of energy flashed so closely she could feel the heat off of it. She leapt to her feet and took to the skies as a second beam tore up the ground she had been standing on a second earlier.   
  
"So, you want to play rough, eh?" She brought her sword up, ready to smash it into the ground when she hesitated. Explosion was a wide range attack, there was a good possibility that she would kill many of the workers in addition to harming the Virage. That wasn't a chance she was going to take. That left her with only Final Burst, a powerful spell, yes, but one that always left her exhausted.   
  
"Lady Nueve, look out!!"   
  
While she had been hovering there considering her options, the Virage had managed to move it's massive bulk close enough to her to highlight her floating form with it's purple light. She dove but it was too late. A beam of energy slammed into her and for an instant she blacked out. She woke seconds later to an oddly familiar sound…but she couldn't quite place it. She sat up just in time to see Lord Sept float down to land beside her, his blade held out at his side, his form illuminated by a white glow. Rainbow colored bubbles floated around her for an instant and she felt her fatigue fade away.   
  
"My Lord Sept…"   
  
"Never hesitate to kill the innocent or you yourself will die." He told her calmly, his voice free of emotion.  
  
"Yes, My Lord." She answered, rising to her feet. Clenching her left hand into a fist she took to the skies once more, this time folding her wings over her arms concentrating as her form was engulfed in flames. Slowly she spread her wings, lowering her sword in front of her like a spear.   
  
"Finaaaaaaaaal Burst!"   
  
She dove towards the Virage, her whole body a fiery missile. Her vision was blurred by heat as she rocketed past the creature, her fiery shell knocking it off balance for a moment and burning it's already scarred body. Once she was past it she slowed herself, finally coming to a stop and spreading her wings to disperse her fiery aura in a final devastating assault on the Virage before allowing herself to float to the ground and land on one knee, sweat running down her face as she took several deep gasping breaths. She looked up to see a sword burry itself in the air above the Virage.   
  
"Astral Drain." Sept's calm voice floated easily above the noise of battle. Suddenly the light came again and Nueve felt herself revitalized as Sept came to rest beside her, recalling his sword to his hand.  
  
"Again." He said abruptly and Nueve stood once more, rising into the air and folding her wings. Sweat ran freely down her face and her hands were shaking as she lowered her sword. Astral Drain may heal wounds and give her energy, but it could do little to dispel the deep set fatigue that came from spell casting. She lowered her sword and dove once more.  
  
"Finaaaaaaaaal Burst!"   
  
She dove once more, only this time, she knew something was wrong. When she tried to slow herself, to stop… she couldn't. Her sword fell from her hands and she ploughed shoulder first into the ground, digging a deep trench of burnt earth behind her as she slid a few feet before finally dispersing her fiery casing and rolling to a stop. There was a flash of light and her Dragoon armor and wings faded away and she lay there, limp and unmoving.   
  
"Enough of this." Sept flew over and hovered a moment, looking down on her. "Get up."   
  
Nueve rose to her knees, but when she tried to stand she fell back to the ground.  
  
"Get up!" Sept raised his voice this time.  
  
Nueve somehow managed to get on her feet this time.   
  
"Get out of the way. Find something to hold on to and stay there." Sept rose in the air, bring his sword up to cast another spell.   
  
Nueve followed his orders as quickly as possible, moving behind a large rock and holding on to it in preparation for whatever Sept was about to do.   
  
"Look away" Sept commanded her, as he lowered his sword. Nueve complied, wondering what was happening. She listened intently and hear a sound like dripping water, then a sound unlike any she had ever hear before followed by the rushing of wind. She felt herself being sucked towards the source of the sound and she flinched as a piece of debris slammed into her back, nearly forcing her to lose her grip. Suddenly a man screamed as he was pulled past her and his cry was cut off abruptly as whatever it was claimed him. After what felt like an eternity to her, the sound faded away and the wind with it.   
  
"You may look now." Came Sept's ever-calm voice.   
  
"What...what happened?" Nueve asked, walking unsteadily towards him. The Virage was gone. So was the box. And all the workers.   
  
"That, my dear Lady Nueve was an attack known as Demon's Gate." He we still in his Dragoon form, not looking the slightest bit winded from his casting.   
  
"But.. That spell isn't that powerful… not powerful enough to claim a Virage." She sheathed Flamberge and rubbed her arms, trying to ward off a sudden chill.   
  
"It is for me."   
  
"That was…" She started to say, a note of awe in her voice  
.   
"A needless waste of time and energy." He cut her off.   
  
Nueve bowed her head. "Forgive me, My Lord."   
  
"You wouldn't always be begging for my forgiveness if you didn't make stupid mistakes in the first place." The there was no change in his voice, yet each word felt like a lash from a whip to Nueve.   
  
"Yes, My Lord. I will strive to do better."   
  
"See that you do." Sept turned to face the doorway that lead to the castle. "You can stop hiding now."  
  
Nueve looked up to see Mauvais come striding out of the doorway.   
  
"That was most interesting!" He exclaimed, coming as close to being excited as Nueve had ever seen the old scientist.  
  
"What you saw here today." Sept said calmly, holding up one finger and looking into first Nueve's eyes, then Mauvais' then back to Nueve's. "Never happened."  
  
So saying he turned and walked away, leaving the two of them standing there, dumbfounded. 


	3. Chapter 3 : Strength in the Wind

Chapter 3: Strength in the Wind  
  
"Welcome to the annual 'Strongest in Endiness' Hero Competition, held right here in your very own Lohan! For over one thousand years this has been THE test of strength and courage! Who will be this years champion!? Who can say! Watch and find out for yourself! Round One begins in EXACTLY five minutes! Find your seats ladies and gentlemen! Non-stop thrills right here, don't miss out!"  
  
The cloaked figure who stood in the doorway to the arena ignored the loud and overzealous voice of the announcer. She suspected that the announcers were chosen every year strictly by who had the most annoying voice. Tuning out the rest of the announcer's sales pitch, She mentally when over her pre-battle checklist. She had sharpened her double katana, Shaiton, the night before. Her armor was freshly mended and polished, the items she might need stowed away in belt packs. The bracelet around her wrist contained an anti-poison charm and her necklace was enchanted to keep her mind clear, just in case someone decided to cheat. She expected no difficulties but it would not do to be caught unprepared. She had never been allowed to participate in these kinds of competitions before but now that she was freed from her other responsibilities there was no reason not to. Besides, battles helped take her mind off how useless her life had suddenly become.  
  
Before her thoughts could travel down that path, however, the announcer appeared beside her, telling her to hurry out into the arena. The cloaked woman hesitated a full minute before moving, just to show that no one - no one - commanded Airashii Shiden.   
  
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I bring you Round One of the famous Hero Competition!" The crowd roared in anticipation. Since Airashii had hesitated, her opponent was introduced first.   
  
"From the far reaches of the brutal Death Frontier, I bring you the Berseeeerk Waaaaaarrior Ziiiraaaaaan!" This showoff was a crowd favorite, as the cheers that followed his name illustrated. He strode out, waving his arms to the crowd and growling in mock anger, much to the delight of the onlookers.   
  
"And his opponent, right here from our very own United Endiness Empire, former Head of the First Knighthood and Protector of the Princess Regent Alisa, Siiiiiiiiiiiir Airashiiiiiiiii Shiiiiden!!" No cheers greeted her name, no clapping or whistling, only a dead silence. She could almost here their whispers to each other. "Her, that knight. The only who let Princess Alisa die." She felt anger rise within her but she kept it locked firmly away as she strode into the center of the area, emerald green cloak flowing out behind her. She stopped in the center of the arena, waiting for the signal to draw her weapon. The announcer waved a hand and Airashii reached for Shaiton-Alpha. It was a long and slender katana worn on her right side, thrust horizontally on her belt, hilt resting just below her elbow. She drew it from it's sheath with her right hand, naturally in a reverse grip, and turned her wrist so that the blade pointed away from her. Her left hand wrapped around the sheath of Shaiton-Omega which was thrust vertically through her belt at her left hip. She pushed up on the guard with her thumb, loosing the second katana in it's sheath. Bringing Shaiton-Alpha down until the end of the hilt touched Shaiton-Omega, she turned her wrist suddenly and the was an audible click as the two weapons connected to form Shaiton-Infinity, her unique double bladed katana. She pulled Shaiton from the lower sheath and spun the weapon once in front of her before tucking it under her right arm, bringing her left arm up in front of her right shoulder and closing her eyes. This brought cheers of recognition from a group of off-duty knights sitting on the row but everyone else remained silent.   
  
"BEGIN!" The announcer shouted from the safety of the judge's box.   
  
Airashii did not hesitate put leapt forward, bringing Shaiton around and planting it point first where her opponent had stood only seconds before. The berserker managed to jump backwards out of the way but had no time to react before Airashii used Shaiton to support her weight and slammed both feet into his chest, sending him flying back almost to the wall of the arena. As he started to rise, Airashii had pulled Shaiton free from the ground and struck upwards, blade leaving a wide scar across his chest armor from left hip to right shoulder. She then followed her momentum and brought the bottom end of the double katana up to strike in the exact same place, weakening the armor there further. Ziran stumbled backwards, trying to bring the shaft of his axe up to block the next blow. But Airashii hesitated, spinning Shaiton above her head. The berserker made the unwise decision to attack at that moment and in the time it took him to draw his axe back to strike, Shaiton slashed downwards, leaving a third scar, this one in the opposite direction, marking a large X on his chest. Airashii brought Shaiton around and tucked it under her right arm once more, left hand held out defensively. Her face was an emotionless mask she regarded Ziran.  
  
"You know what they say." She said quietly, as if asking the time.  
  
"What?" Ziran growled, starting to lower his axe.  
  
"X marks the spot." In the few seconds it took the man to decipher the meaning of that, Airashii had already surged forward, the point of Shaiton striking the center of the X on his chest and piercing the weakened armor. The blade continued to move forward, blood gushing out of the wound as the double katana stuck in the wood of the arena behind him and pinned him there. With a nonchalance that defied what she had just done, Airashii pulled her weapon free, allowing the man to slump to the floor, placing one hand on the hilt of each of the two katanas and rotated her wrists. With a snap the two katanas broke free and she spun them both twice before sliding them into their sheaths, Shaiton-Omega still dripping with blood.   
  
She crossed her arms and closed her eyes as the medics came out with a stretcher and carted Ziran away.  
  
"And uhh… Sir Airashii Shiden is the winner of this round. She moves on to Round Two."  
  
The announcer's voice had a notable lack of enthusiasm as he said this, not that Airashii really cared. /Bloody Knight Shiden you call me./ She thought as she walked back to the waiting room, arms still crossed. /A name I well deserve./   
  
She waited in the doorway with eyes closed, totally unconcerned by the bloody katana at her side as the other contestants fought the first rounds. She had seen death and blood before. She had been the Head of the First Knighthood when it had been dispatched to suppress the Independent Tiberoa Insurrection, almost four years ago now. She had slaughtered men and women who barely knew how to hold the swords they had raised against her. That had been under orders though and she had spared all that she could. However after the death of Princess Alisa she had grown steadily more moody and violent until she had been politely asked to leave the Knighthood, stripped of her position as Head of the First Knighthood and had the Province of Seles taken away from her, making her nothing more than a lowly knight once more. Her hands tightened into fists and her eyes squeezed closed a little tighter.  
  
"See no evil." Came a deep but amused voice behind her.  
  
"Hear no evil." She replied, voice tight.  
  
"Speak no evil." The voice replied.   
  
Airashii opened her eyes and turned to face the man, bowing at the waist. "Advisor Sept. I'm surprised to see you here."   
  
Royal Advisor Dyson Sept was a tall man, his once blonde hair now gray with age, making him seem dignified. His ice blue eyes seemed almost regal and some wondered if he did not posses royal blood from some line of kings. He wore black robes with a hood that was pushed away from his face, his hands hidden in his robes. He was something of a mystery. He had been serving the Emperors and Empresses of the United Endiness Empire for nearly fifty years now but no one knew quite where he had come from, or who exactly he was.   
  
"How could I not come to see the Empire's greatest knight battle in the arena?" He asked, his deep voice holding a teasing note that angered Airashii.   
  
"I am no longer a knight." She growled, turning away from him.  
  
"Ah, yes. I forgot. That bad bit of business with the Heiress."   
  
"Bad.. bit.. of business..!?" Airashii choked out, hands shaking with a rage she could barely contain.   
  
"How was it she died?" His voice was annoyingly calm, as if the death of the sole heir meant nothing to him. "Ah, right. Those Serido Resistance Faction members caught her. I heard she didn't actually die for days-"  
  
Without really knowing how she got there, Airashii found her hands around the Advisor's throat, hot tears flowing down her cheeks.. "Shut up! Don't talk about Alisa! You have no right-" Her words came to a halt as she felt cold metal against her throat.   
  
"That's quite enough of that, Knight Shiden." The firm, cool voice was familiar to Airashii, who nodded carefully and released Sept.   
  
"How could I forget the dear, devoted Lady Adar?" Airashii asked, her voice filled with scorn as she brought a hand up to touch her neck, and lowered it back down to her side when she found no blood.   
  
"You will have to forgive my Knight, she can be a bit overprotected of me at times." The Advisor showed no ill effects from his brief loss of air and didn't seemed offended by it.   
  
"Sorry, My Lord." Lady Nueve Adar said, sheathing her dagger and bowing briefly at the waist before moving to stand behind him.   
  
"What do you want with me?" Airashii asked bluntly as the crowd roared behind her. They were fighting the last first round match, it was time for the second rounds began.   
  
"I want the Empire's finest knight fighting to protect it once again." Sept replied just as bluntly.  
  
"Impossible. The Knighthood doesn't want 'bloodthirsty vigilantes' in it's ranks. Remember?" Her voice was thick with bitterness as she turned away. "I have to go into the arena now. If you wish to pursue this nonsense I will speak more when I return." Without waiting for an answer, Airashii strode out into the stadium. 


	4. Chapter 4 : Undercurrent of Fate

Chapter 4: Undercurrent of Fate   
  
"Hey, Wingly!" Kelcie shouted from the side of the small fishing boat.  
  
"I /do/ have a name you know." Aaron called back, striding across the deck to stand beside her.   
  
"Yeah, but I'm not going to use it." Kelcie replied, crossing her arms and leaning back against the rail.  
  
"Why not?" Aaron asked, arching an eyebrow.  
  
"Because I have no respect for you, Wingly." Kelcie replied.  
  
"Ahh, so it's because I'm a Wingly, eh?" Aaron arched an eyebrow in amusement.  
  
"The day you earn my respect," She continued, ignoring his comment. "I'll call you by your first name."   
  
Aaron gave a small grin. "Alright then, if that's how you want to play it. The day you call me Aaron… I'll tell you why I'm non-elemental."  
  
Kelcie frowned. "Yeah, whatever."  
  
"Admit it." Aaron said, his grin growing wider. "You wanna know."  
  
Kelcie uncrossed her arm and turned around to grab one side of the net that was draped off the rail of the boat. "Are you going to help me or not?"  
  
"You're avoiding the question." Aaron admonished, walking over to grab the other side of the net.  
  
"What if I am?" Kelcie challenged, turning her head to glare at him. Aaron returned her glare for several seconds, then his glare suddenly lost it's edge as he noticed something.  
  
"Your eyes are violet." He said suddenly.  
  
Kelcie sighed. "Yours are gray, your point?"  
  
"It's just that violet isn't a normal human eye color." Aaron answered as he began hauling the net up into the boat.  
  
"I'm not human, remember Wingly? I'm a Dragoon." Kelcie rolled her eyes and started to pull on the net as well.  
  
"You do have very beautiful eyes, though" Aaron said with a smile.  
  
"Flirt with the fish." She said, tossing a fish at him.  
  
"Hey!" Aaron protested as the fish bounced off his chest and fell back into the water.   
  
"My, you two sure are taking your time." Serif's voice came from the shore. "I didn't realize you fishing skills had slipped so far, Kelcie. Perhaps you need less training and more manual labor."  
  
"It's not me." Kelcie called back. "This Wingly you made me take with me is all thumbs. Give me a decent sailor and I'd have been back twenty minutes ago."   
  
"Hardly" Aaron scoffed. "I was sailing when you were still a glint in your father's eye." Aaron realized his mistake as soon as the words were out of his mouth.  
  
Kelcie released her side of the net and it fell lopsidedly back into the water, the fish swimming gratefully away as fast as their fins could carry them. She turned to face him, one hand clenched into a fist, anger blazing in her eyes. "What would you know   
of my father?"  
  
Aaron just stood there holding on to his half of the now empty net. "Sorry, poor choice of words."  
  
"Kelcie." Serif warned softly. "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by that."   
  
The anger in her eyes faded, but only slightly. "Fine. If you such a great fisherman, you can do it yourself." Without a backwards glance she dove off the side of the boat and disappeared beneath the waves. Aaron took one step towards the side of the boat when Serif's voice stopped him.  
  
"Let her go, lad. Her father has always been a very touchy subject for her."  
  
"Yeah… I can see that." Aaron shook his head and turn to retrieve the net before it was lost in to ocean  
  
  
========  
  
"Wingly!" The robust feminine voice could only belong to one person.  
  
"Yeah?" Aaron replied without thinking, not even realizing how easily he answered to that name now.  
  
"Can you swim?" The girl asked, appearing in the doorway two oddly shaped shells in her hands.   
  
"Better than you can." Aaron retorted, putting away the stone he had been using to sharpen his sword and replacing the sword in it's sheath as his side.  
  
"Then put this on and follow me." She said, tossing him one of the odd shells. He caught it easily and turned it over in his hands. It was oddly soft, feeling much like a sponge.   
  
"What is this?" He asked, looking up at her.  
  
"It's something the Merfolks gave us that allows humans to breath underwater." She held the shell up to her face and pressed it over her nose and mouth a moment before taking her hand away. The shell, however remained firmly on her face. "I'm assuming it works for Winglies as well." Her voice came out flat and oddly monotone. Aaron regarded the shell suspiciously for a moment.  
  
"Oh, for Soa's sake! It's doesn't bite, Wingly." Kelcie said, the frustration in her words not really carrying through monotone of her voice.  
  
Aaron held the shell up to his face and held it there a moment. It fit easily over his nose and mouth, sticking there with an odd tingling sensation. His first impulse was to rip it off but he fought down that urge and took a deep breath.  
  
"Okay, now what?" His voice sounded metallic to his own ears. Whatever this shell was, it was obviously messing with the sound waves that passed through it.  
  
"Grab a spear and follow me." Kelcie said, grabbing a spear of her own and running back out to the pier, not even hesitating as she dove headfirst into the murky blue waters. Arching an eyebrow in amusement, Aaron chose a spear of his own and followed her into the water.  
  
As soon as the waters closed over his head, he felt a familiar sensation of serenity. It was so calm and peaceful beneath the waves. Sound was muted by the water, movements slowed. He closed his eyes, folded his hands behind hid head and just allowed the water to carry him for a few moments. This was why he had chosen the life of a sailor, this love he had for the sea.   
  
"Endiness to Wingly." Aaron opened his eyes to find Kelcie waving a hand in front of his face. "Come in, Wingly."   
  
"I take it we can talk underwater with these things on." He commented.   
  
Kelcie made a sound he could not distinguish behind the shell. "Yeah, these handy little things filter oxygen out of the water for us, allowing us to breath and speak while in the water."  
  
"Cool." He answered, moving from his relaxed posture to right himself. "So, why do the Merfolks want to see us anyway?"   
  
"They have information about the Kraken. Come on, this way." Waving a hand towards the ocean floor, she swam in the direction she had indicated, looking as at home in the water as if she had been born there.  
  
========  
  
Time really didn't seem to matter under the waves and Aaron wasn't really sure how long they traveled before he noticed the two shapes coming towards them. He brought up his spear defensively, but Kelcie put one hand on the weapon and lowered it again.  
  
"They are guards, don't act hostile." She whispered, as the shapes drew closer. Aaron could now see that it was two women, each armed with a spear similar to his own. He knew instantly that they were Mer women, because of the fact that they had fins instead of feet.   
  
"State your name and business." The guard to his right stated without preamble. Her voice was melodic, even this command sounding like music to the human ear. It was no wonder that sailors would follow the voices of the Mer women into the sea and drown themselves. The reputation of the Siren was well deserved.   
  
"Kelcie of Rogue" Her voice sound so harsh and grating after hearing the Mer voices. And it wasn't all just the shell. "and this Wingly here is my escort."  
  
"Escort?" Aaron had to hide a small laugh, although the shell almost did it for him. Almost.  
  
"Can it, Wingly." Kelcie whispered fiercely.   
  
"You are expected, Kelcie of Rogue." The first guard said.  
  
"But follow us exactly." The second guard continued. "Humans are normally not allowed in our waters. I cannot say you are safe should you venture away from us."  
  
Kelcie and Aaron both nodded in understanding and the two mermaids turned and swam down, deeper towards the very bottom of the ocean. Time passed and the still continued to swim deeper and deeper. Aaron began to feel an uncomfortable pressure on his ears that grew worse and worse. He risked a glance at Kelcie and saw the same discomfort in her eyes. The human body wasn't made to withstand this kind of pressure. Yet they could not leave the company of their guards.   
  
"You two!" A sharp Mer voice called out. It was different than the voice of the other two women, harsher and with a note of command. The woman who owned it was dressed in ceremonial armor but carried no weapons. Her hair was white and her eyes a striking, icy blue but the most interesting thing of all was that unlike the other she did not have fins but rather normal human feet. Yet, she had no shell to allow her to breath and seemed to be speaking just fine. "What do you think you're doing!?"   
  
Kelcie and Aaron paused, thinking the voice was talking to them. But when the woman came in sight she swam over to the guards and began rebuking them in Mer tongue. Aaron and Kelcie exchanged puzzled looks, what was going on?   
  
"Forgive them, the know very little about Humans -" The woman began, then stopped and grinned widely, swimming forward and sweeping Aaron into a massive hug. "Aaron! What in the name of the creator are you doing here?"   
  
Kelcie hid a grin at this and Aaron, for his part, could barely breathe. "Uhh.. Hi.. Nova…nice to uhh.. see you too."  
  
Nova immediately let go of Aaron and frowned. "You two really shouldn't be down this far, you can't stand the pressure. We had a temporary audience room set up." Turning to the guards she said something sharply in Mer tongue and they swam away. "Come, this way, follow me."  
  
Once they had reached a depth where Kelcie and Aaron could breathe normally again, Nova paused and allowed them a chance to regain their wind.  
  
"You two okay?" Nova asked, floating a few feet away. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to my two favorite land dwellers."  
  
"I take it you two know each other." Kelcie commented, crossing her arms and trying not to let her amusement show.   
  
"Yeah." Aaron answered. "She saved my life about four years ago. The ship I was in sank and she brought me to one of the underground 'air grottos' where the air is trapped underwater by a magic barrier. I owe her my life."  
  
"I see." Kelcie replied. "Well, Nova here is an air breather too. She comes out of the water from time to time to train in the Rogue Arts. Over the years she has become a master herself. She actually trained me for a while in underwater combat and the art of swimming."  
  
"So Aaron is your Wingly escort?" Nova was beaming now. "You two together? That's wonderful!"   
  
"Stop that thought right there." Kelcie said, amusement vanishing. "He's just here as shark bait in case I get into trouble."  
  
"Nice to know you feel that way about me." Aaron said, now taking his turn to be amused.  
  
"Oh, well…" Nova looked disappointed. "It is still nice that you two know each other. I never thought you'd ever meet."  
  
"By the way, how is your son?" Aaron asked, changing the subject quickly. "Little guy must be nearly five years old by now."  
  
"Six." Nova corrected.   
  
"Son..?" Kelcie's mouth would have been hanging open if the breathing shell had allowed it. "You never told me you had a child."  
  
"Ian needs air to breathe at least once a day now, so my house has an air grotto in it." Nova said, ignoring Kelcie's shock. "The temporary audience is being held there, actually. You can meet him if you wish…"  
  
"Sure, I'd love to see the little tadpole again." Aaron answered enthusiastically. "Last time I saw him he was still saying 'ga ga goo goo' and trying to yank my pendant off it's chain."   
  
"This way then. My house isn't very far away." She said, turning and swimming away from the astonished Kelcie and amused Aaron.   
  
"Just when you think you know a person." Kelcie muttered, shaking her head.  
  
"Don't take it too hard." Aaron answered, even though the comment hadn't been directed at him. "She's already an outcast, being a half breed and able to breathe air. Her son must be even worse, being a mix of Human, Mer and Wingly."  
  
"Wingly?" Kelcie glared at Aaron suspiciously.  
  
"Hey! I know what you are thinking and you can stop right now."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"She had the baby a year before I even met her, so stop looking at me like that."   
  
"Yeah, right. Whatever."   
  
"Hey, you two! Try and keep up, the Elders are waiting." Nova called back to the pair.  
  
"Coming!" Kelcie answered for the both. "Get the lead out, Wingly. You are slowing me down."  
  
"Yes, your majesty." Aaron growled under his breath as he followed her towards Nova's home and the council of Mer Elders. 


	5. Chapter 5 : Troubled Waters

Chapter 5 : Troubled Waters  
  
Nova's house was, like most Mer buildings, a grotto. If Aaron hadn't already spent time in a Mer village he would never have noticed the concealed entrance. It was hidden from most under water predators and interlopers who had no business within. The entrance itself was narrow, allowing only one person to enter at a time. Nova entered first, followed by Kelcie with Aaron bringing up the rear.   
  
Inside was a sort of antechamber with a tunnel directly in front of them. Nova didn't lead them through this tunnel, however but instead through an opening on the ceiling that Aaron never would have noticed on his own, he was too used to thinking of gravity bound human houses.   
  
Just inside was a ledge and a strange glowing purple boundary marker. Aaron felt a bit of resistance as his head and shoulders emerged from the water, they were now inside a magically maintained air bubble. All three climbed out of the water and the two land dwellers removed their spongy breathing masks.  
  
"Kelcie of Rogue." The voice was unexpected and both turned to see a small pool across the room. Four mermaids rested on four rocks that jutted up out of the pool. Aaron wondered briefly why they had seen no Mermen before remembering that Mermaids outnumbered Mermen by nearly ten to one.   
  
Nova and Kelcie both bowed at the waist and Aaron hesitantly followed suit.   
  
I have come, as requested." Kelcie said as she straightened.   
  
"And this young man?" The elder asked.  
  
"My escort." The dismissal in her tone was obvious, Aaron was of no importance to her or this meeting.   
  
"I see." The elder replied. "But on to business. I've brought you here because of a mutual threat. If the species of the Kraken has been reborn, I have no doubt that they will once more begin to hunt the Mer peoples. "  
  
"As well as begin wrecking havoc on costal towns and fishing villages." Kelcie pointed out.  
  
"As I said. A mutual threat." There was a slight edge to the elder's tone. The tension in the room had suddenly become thicker than the barrier holding the air. The Mer people's didn't mind humans as a race - so long as they stayed out of the water. Aaron wasn't exactly sure what their opinions were on Winglies, since his stay in their world have been confined to this house, Nova and her then baby son.   
  
"My scouts have tracked the Kraken back to a sealed grotto on the mainland, a few klicks south of the Fletz ruins." Nova spoke up. "It is my belief that someone inside the ruins was begun experimenting with…" She paused and glanced at the elders. "cloning."  
  
"Cloning?" Kelcie repeated incredulously.   
  
"I know it sounds absurd on the surface." Nova began, pacing and waving her arms to punctuate her point. "But in reality it isn't much different than say, summoning a Dragon familiar. The problem is trying to find a sustained magic force with enough power to keep the clone active indefinitely."  
  
"How do you know all this?" Aaron interrupted.  
  
Nova paused in mid-stride and turned to look at him. "There are several extensive texts on the subjects, written by your kind, the ancient Winglies. Apparently there was one who did find such a power source, although the texts say nothing of the power source itself. My guess is the Spirit of the God of Destruction."  
  
"You mean Melbu Frama." Aaron's voice was tight with suspicion.  
"Yes. I've found several of his notes and texts, I'm something of a collector of ancient works."   
  
"So you think that someone in the Fletz ruins is experiments in using ancient Wingly magic, possibly even cloning." Kelcie broke in.   
  
"That is my belief, yes." Nova clasped her hands behind her back and nodded.  
  
"And what do you expect us to do about it?" Kelcie asked pointedly.  
  
"I need more feet on the ground to explore the ruins." Nova said, though her tone made it clear that the request should already have been obvious.   
  
"Why not simply ask the Empire for help? That is their territory after all."   
  
Aaron wondered why Kelcie was suddenly so defensive.   
  
"Quite frankly, I don't trust the Empire." Nova answered without hesitation. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were funding these experiments."  
  
"Then why bring Rogue into this?"  
  
Ah, so that was it. Politics. The Untied Endiness Empire had been trying to absorb both Mille Seseau and Rouge since it had gone from just the United Endiness to the United Endiness Empire. It really was a shame that the line of King Albert had ended, the new line of kings- now emperors had taken the Empire straight down hill.   
  
"I'm not trying to bring Rogue into this." Nova answered calmly. "I'm just asking a friend of mine to go for a swim. Even if you are caught in Imperial territory, you are just a private citizen, not a representative of Rogue."  
  
"Fair enough." Kelcie glanced over her shoulder at Aaron, who nodded. "We would both be happy to help."  
  
"Excellent." Nova turned and bowed to the Elders who nodded in return and dove off their rocks to swim away. Nova turned back to Kelcie. "Come, preparations have already been made for our departure."  
  
"Wait." Kelcie held up one hand. "You want us to leave /now/?"  
  
"I can't help but believe that time is of the essence."   
  
"But-"  
  
"Word has already been sent to your guardian, Serif, that you are going on a journey with me. He trusts us both, he won't worry about us." Nova smiled for the first time since the meeting had begun. "Well, not much anyway."  
  
"Looks like you thought of everything." Kelcie smiled in return. "As always."  
  
  
----------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Hmm, haven't done this before, have I? I'm sorry for the delay in posting. I've had this written out on paper for several days now but simply did not have the time to type it out. Hopefully I'll get the next part up faster. *Crosses fingers*  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned LoD, I'd own Sony and I'd be rich. But I'm not. So don't sue me. 


	6. Chapter 6 : Green Destiny

Chapter 6 : Green Destiny  
  
Airashii didn't wait for her introduction as she strode out into the arena, drawing Shaiton-Alpha and Omega but not uniting the two halves. She had no need to use the full power of her weapon here; these "warriors" were nothing but self-made heroes in a time of peace. Airashii herself held no delusions of being a hero; she was nothing more than an obsolete government killing machine. The announcer scrambled to announce the uninvited knight first, and then moved on to her opponent.   
  
"And to challenge the Empire's Deadliest Servant, all the way from Mille Seseau – Raaaaaaiiiiidiiiia Ceeeeleeeeste, Archer Extraordinaire!"   
  
Archer. Airashii snorted in disgust as she turned to watch her enemy enter the arena. In her opinion, being an archer was about as deadly a skill as spitting. Still, a fight was a fight.   
  
"Alright, Arrowhead." Airashii taunted as she spun both her katana before assuming a ready position. "Let's see how good you are with your slingshot."  
  
The archer was a young woman with brown hair and blue eyes. She was dressed for Mille Seseau's cold weather, wearing white pants which were tucked into knee high white boots and a white coat which, in the southern heat she had unbutton to reveal a long sleeve white tunic and matching vest. Airashii really got the feeling this girl liked the color white. Maybe it was Mille Seseau thing.  
  
Airashii herself was dressed in the traditional green and brown of Serdio, distaining the red and blue of Tiberoa. She had always liked the old images she had seen of the heroic knight Lavitz Slambert and King Albert the First who was honored as the founder of the Empire. So, she had dressed in brown pants tucked into brown boots, a light brown shirt with a green vest and long flowing green cape. After she had become the Head of the First Knighthood she had ordered a custom breastplate forged for herself, an exact replica of the one worn by Lavitz, including the heart and lightening bolt that was the symbol of House Slambert. Since there had been no heirs to the Slambert House in over 1,000 years she claimed this symbol as her own. In retrospect she now wished that she hadn't, since the symbol was now tainted with her own "Bloody Knight" legacy. Her long brown hair was bound back in a simple ponytail to keep it out of her calm green eyes. It was odd that while it was Lavitz she idolized, it was Albert that she was often told that she resembled.   
  
"What's wrong, Arrowhead?" Airashii demanded of the archer, who had yet to take a ready position.   
  
"You are… Knight Shiden, right?" The archer asked in a voice that betrayed her youth.  
  
"Former Knight Shiden, yes." Airashii relaxed her position, stretching with a feline insolence. Perhaps that was the archer's game, trying to catch her off guard. "You can save the hero worship until after I've won the contest."  
  
The archer frowned and pulled an arrow from the quiver at her side and fitted it to her bowstring. "You're no hero, Shida."  
  
Shaiton-Alpha must have moved of its own accord, because Airashii was too shocked to do anything as complicated as deflect an arrow. How in Mayfil did this child know her old nickname? "Shida" There was only one person who had ever called her that. With an almost inaudible growl of anger, Airashii returned to her ready position. Whoever this girl was, she had just made a mistake. Angering a self-admitted bloody murder was a dangerous thing.   
  
There were two basic ways to defeat an archer. A headlong rush, trapping them against a wall somewhere with no room to maneuver and then they were as helpless as children. Still, that was a risky choice, one lucky arrow and it was all over. The second way is to take advantage of the fundamental weakness of using projectile weapons. One needed projectiles in order to attack. All she needed to do was wait until this archer used up all her arrows and then victory was hers. Airashii, however, had a different plan in mind.  
  
Raidia fired off a second arrow, which Airashii easily side stepped and sliced in half with Shaiton-Omega.   
  
"You're good." Raidia said as she fitted a third arrow to her string. "But you can't dance forever."  
  
Airashii spun her swords and grinned. "I don't have too." In a move which surprised everyone, Airashii sheathed her katana and spread her arms wide. "Take your best shot, little girl. This is your big chance to be a hero."   
  
Raidia seemed caught off guard at this. "But... you are unarmed…"  
  
"Come on!" Airashii lowered her arms and stalked forward, grabbing the arrows out of Raidia's quiver and throwing on the ground behind her. "You've got one arrow left, one shot. Take it!"  
  
"No! I won't-" Raidia lowered her bow, only to have Airashii tear it from her grasp and toss it away as well.   
  
"How do you expect to win if you aren't willing to hurt an unarmed opponent? How naïve you are. Run home little girl, and have your mother sooth your pride. When you are old enough to handle that weapon of your properly return and I'll show you what battle truly is." Disgusted, Airashii left the arena, muttering under her breath.  
  
Raidia and the announcer exchanged glances.  
  
"She left the arena before the battle was over, you can claim victory if you want." The announcer said quietly.   
  
"No…" Raidia shook her head. "I forfeit." Then began recovering her arrows and quickly inspected her bow for any damage before leaving the arena.  
  
The announcer sighed. "And in yet another round of what is proving to be the most boring Hero Competition in centuries, Airashii Shiden proceeds to the next round."  
  
===  
  
Back inside the prep room, Airashii found herself face to face with a sneering Nueve Adar.   
  
"You have absolutely no sense of honor, do you?"  
  
Airashii returned Nueve's sneer with an oddly hollow look, not even trying to defend herself. "My honor died years ago in a prison along with an idealistic young knight and her royal charge. If it is my honor you seek, find an empty grave for a dead heir."  
  
Nueve seemed taken aback by the bitterness in her tone. "You aren't the warrior I remember."  
  
"No. I'm not." Airashii started to turn away when a hand on her shoulder stopped her.  
  
"You can regain your honor. You can find another reason to live. But you have to want it." Dyson Sept's unchanging expression was still in place. There was no pity in his tone. "If you really wanted continue down the path to self destruction, that is your choice."  
  
Airashii looked at the hand on her shoulder, the hollow expression still in place. "What do you want from me?"  
  
"I want the fiery warrior who once was the mighty Head of the First Knighthood. I want the warrior who was one the most feared enemy in all Endiness. I want Knight Shiden to once more carry the weight of the Empire's security on her shoulders. I want you loyalty, I want your strength."   
  
Airashii closed her eyes. "I have done far too much for the Emperor ever trust me again."   
  
"You misunderstand." Sept said, removing his hand from her shoulder. "I don't want you to return to the knighthood."  
  
Airashii opened her eyes and gave Sept a puzzled expression. "Then…?"  
  
"You of all people are aware that our current Emperor has no heir."  
  
Airashii nodded slowly.  
  
"His wife is also dead and he is far too old to remarry and have more children." He glanced Nueve, to ensure that they were alone and when she nodded he continued. "In fact, the royal doctors have diagnosed him with a deadly malady that will take his life in under a year."  
  
Airashii's eyes widened in shock but she remained silent.  
  
"Civil war is coming. It is unavoidable. I, myself, have no aspirations for Emperor but I will not see the Empire fall under the horrible leadership of one who does have such aspirations. I have chosen my side already and soon the time is coming when you must choose yours. Join me!"  
  
Airashii did not answer right away but both the advisor and his guard saw something in the knight's eyes they had not seen before. Hope, purpose.  
  
"You have proven your loyalty to the Empire a hundred times over, Advisor Sept. You have helped guide its fate for decades; I believe you have the Empire's best interest at heart." For the first time in far too long, Airashii held her head high. "I shall join you."  
  
"Excellent." Sept's expression did not changed but it was obvious he was pleased. "As a reward for your loyalty, I give you this." From the depth of his robes he produced a small green gem, which he offered to Airashii.   
  
She regarded it suspiciously. "What is it?"  
  
"A summoning stone. It will allow you to summon a vassal dragon for short periods of time. But use it only in times of greatest need." He cautioned. "It is a powerful artifact and not to be used lightly."  
  
Airashii reached out with one hand t take the stone but when she touched it, it began to shine with a bright light and she jerked her hand away, a feeling of immense power lingering. "This is…the power of the Dragon?"  
  
Sept and Nueve exchanged guarded glances and Sept nodded. "Yes, it is. Your own power resonates with the power of the dragon. You are very lucky indeed. It has recognized you as its new master. For you it shall fight with its greatest strength and obey your commands without hesitation."  
  
A second time Airashii reached out to take it. Again it began glowing but she did not pull away this time. She took the gem from Sept, and gazed at it as it rested in her palm. She could feel the power of the dragon in her palm. It was restless, as if it had been sleeping far too long. It wanted to be released; it wanted to be free, to fly. She could feel her own desires harmonize with it and for one brief moment she felt that, at that moment, she too could fly. She closed her fist around the gem, dimming the light. "Does it have a name?"  
  
"Perhaps once it did, but if so it has been long forgotten." Sept replied, though he seemed slightly puzzled as to why it should matter.  
  
"Then I shall name it Vortex." Airashii replied, placing the stone in her item's pouch, whispering almost to herself. "Serve me well, Vortex, I have a feeling that soon you and I will both have a chance to stretch our wings." 


End file.
